Ram Naik's statement during the inauguration of the Dadar bridge last week that hawkers and beggars would be evicted on the Western, the Central and Harbour railways has sparked off, literally, ire among the hawkers, who protest their equation with beggars. Suresh Kapile, general secretary of the Bombay Hawkers Union, informed that the railways, unlike the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation which gave hawkers licences, were denying hawkers their right to livelehood. He also termed the railways' decision to evict the hawkers as contempt of a Supreme Court's ruling of 1985, which states that hawkers should be allowed to work without hindrance. ``We are willing to sit on one side of the bridge to avoid inconvenience to the public,'' he added.

He said on an average, each hawker coughs up at least Rs 30 a day ashafta to the railway police and local officials. ``Even if railway authorities, like the BMC, charge each hawker Rs 15 a day, they can earn over Rs 10 crore, as there are 10,000 hawkers,'' he said.

But authorities claim that Naik's statement has been misconstrued. Stated Mukul Marwah, CPRO, Central Railway, ``The minister might have only quoted from the Indian Railways Act.'' Section 144 under this act calls for the eviction of unauthorised hawkers and beggars from railway premises.

The CR's drive against hawkers and beggars on platforms and foot overbridges has been rigorous; with over 1,475 having been apprehended and fines worth Rs 81,000 recovered from them. At least 3,400 beggars have also been evicted from platforms. ``The fight is against illegal occupants. Licensed hawkers like shoeshine boys and caterers have been left untouched,'' said Marwah. Ram Naik was unavailable for comment.

Kapile said the union would decide on its course of action in meeting on May 6. He said he was trying toconvince the hawkers to prevent a repeat of 1996, when 26 year-old Sambhu Kalicharan Mandal had immolated himself outside the railway office after he was prevented from hawking at Churchgate station. Kapile said he was trying to convince the hawkers not to resort to such desperate measures.